While driving south from the Fraser Coast, I saw a tall peak a few kilometers from the highway. Whenever I see a mountain, my first thought is that I want to climb to the top. I asked Sara to look at her offline map app (Ulmon) to see if there appeared to be a hiking trail but she didn’t see anything. As we got closer, I spotted an exit from the highway and pulled off in hopes of finding a trail up the steep slopes. After bit of driving on small windy roads, we found a trailhead sign that seem to lead in the right direction. There were several signs warning about the steep trail ahead – we must be in the right place. We packed up a small bag and started up the trail.
The hike was pretty quick and all the steep sections had chains to help with the ascent. When we made it to the summit 45 minutes later, we were blown away by the views. It felt good to stretch our legs and get some exercise while enjoying the great scenery. Apparently, we were not the only ones with that idea. We saw many locals doing their daily afternoon exercise on the trail. Back in the car, we were motivated to continue exploring and kept driving towards the coastal town of Noosa.
Noosa
That night we found a beachside parking lot to “camp”. Although there was a no camping sign, several reviewers online said they had parked there overnight with no problems. Because we are self contained in our camper, we felt like we wouldn’t make a negative impact to the beachside. Also, we had not heard of anyone getting an instant fine for staying overnight in no camping zones so we felt the risk was worth it. We just hoped rangers wouldn’t come knocking to wake us in the middle of the night and ask us to leave.
We awoke in the morning not to rangers or police but to surfers trying to catch a few waves before they rushed off to work. The surfers motivated Sara and I to start the day with a little beach yoga. My legs were sore from the hike and it felt great to stretch them out.
The town of Noosa is a very popular destination. The Noosa National Park has lots of trails along the ocean which we were excited to explore. We had a little difficulty finding a parking spot big enough for our camper but eventuall parked at the main entrance. Our travel guide on Fraser Island told us Noosa was a good place to see koalas and that was the goal of the day. We chose a trail that would take us through a eucalyptus forests and then return along the beach. To make the hiking a little more interesting, Sara and I made a game of the hunt. The first person to see a koala would win a cupcake and a beer!
We wandered through eucalyptus forests on the Tanglewood Track with our eyes glued to the trees. We passed a sign that mentioned if you smell wildlife, look up because it might be a koala. I couldn’t imagine a small koala smelling enough for us to detect! Every object in the trees had us on high alert but after making it to the beach, we still hadn’t seen anything. The beach itself was quite impressive though. There were rocky outcrops and cliffs surrounding an idyllic sandy beach. There was another surprise waiting for us – apparently the beach is also clothing optional! While walking along, we saw many naturalists relaxing next to the dunes. Sara jokingly asked if we should join them.
We walked up a hill just past the beach and found a nice scenic perch at Devils Kitchen viewpoint for lunch. I really enjoyed listening to the waves crash on the rocks below while we rested and soaked up the warm sun. After lunch, we explored and photographed the area. I was fascinated with the rock face because it looked just like the cell structure in a tree – I had never seen anything like it. As dark clouds started to gather on the horizon, we started back.
Not forgetting our bet, I still had my eyes glued to the trees. As we approached a spot where a koala was spotted a few days ago (there was a recent spottings board at the main entrance to the park), our pace got slower and slower. Then I spotted something at the very top of a tall tree. I thought it was just a bird nest at first but looking from a different angle it was definitely a koala – success! As I pointed it out to Sara, I immediately began to think of what type of beer to pick. Our excitement got the attention of a few other walkers and we pointed out the small object high in the trees.
After our second successful hike in a row, we felt like we were on a roll! That night we drove to the Wild Horse Lookout to camp for free and hopefully have another good view. It didn’t feel promising as we pulled off the highway into parking lot surrounded by dense forest. It was late and already dark so we just cooked dinner and went to bed.
In the morning, we saw that there was a uphill path leaving the parking lot. The short walk led us to a large fire tower with fantastic views of the Glass House Mountains. The visibility was incredible – we could even see Brisbane 60 kilometers away! We could also see our next destination: Moreton Island.
